Beaumont Dr. Gets Accolades For Research On Breast Cancer Treatment
ROYAL OAK (WWJ) - Treating early stage breast cancer with radiation has come a long way in a short time. Now, new research from a Beaumont doctor has made a national "best of" presentation in San Diego.
There are two main types of radiation therapy — one that treats the whole breast and one that treats part of the breast. Radiation Oncology Resident Jessie Wobb set out to discover which treatment was actually more effective.
Wobb looked at more 3,000 patients with early stage breast cancer between 1980 and 2012 and found that there was very little difference in the outcomes of women who received whole breast compared to partial breast radiation.
As a result, Wobb said instead of treating partial breast radiation over a series of weeks -- she can do it in just five days.
"It's good for women who live in a rural area, where they might not have access to a radiation facility and might not be able to just come down for a week to get treatment," Wobb told WWJ's Kathryn Larson.
When coupled with the Affordable Care Act, Wobb said the fewer days of treatment could also be a boon for insurance companies looking to cut costs.
"Because it is only five days of treatment, it is cheaper than the six-week course of treatment. So, I think it's going to be something that's looked in to a lot more as we start to have this new Obamacare era coming up," she said.
To learn more about Wobb's research, click here.
